This just in: Gossip Girl is back online, and like a horses' stampede, I can hear her click-clattering away on her messy keyboard. Or shall I say, based on the original ending, (spoiler) his messykeyboard? Regardless, this new group of private school Upper East Siders, centers around half-sisters Julien (Jordan Alexander) and Zoya (Whitney Peak), a wealthy social media influencer and a middle-class newcomer, respectively. Addressing social media's affects in Generation Z, Gossip Girl arrives back on the interweb to create chaos amongst the group, who've known each other since "they were babies."
With the buzz around nostalgic television series reboots, such as iCarly, The Boondocks, and The Proud Family, it's only natural to find millennials resting at the edge of their seats for what the Gossip Girl revival will have in store. So, until we have the chance to see, it's only fair that we get to know who we're seeing. Or in this case, the most talked about newcomer and lead: Jordan Alexander.
Because we know you'll love her, here are 8 things you should know about Gossip Girl's Jordan Alexander. And remember to watch the season premiere of Gossip Girl, July 8, 2021 on HBO Max.
Xoxo
1.Oh, Canada: Jordan is repping for Toronto.
Despite America's obsessive need to claim someone as our own, rep for Jordan Alexander will have to go a little further up the map. Jordan Alexander is a Canadian actress and singer, born in Vancouver, raised in Toronto, Ontario.
2.Jordan Alexander also has the title of 'singer-songwriter on her resume.
In June 2021, Jordan Alexander released her piano-ballad single "You." In the single, Alexander admonishes herself for not being over her love. Joining the summer of breakup songs, she sings about missing her love and feeling purposeless without their existence.
Her voice is powerful and sultry, as she battles against what her heart wants and what her brain knows she needs. She knows that she will have to get over this relationship, this heartache, but also knows that it will take time to forget the love she once had. With her latest single, "Jordan Alexander creates a colorful expression for the emotional human experience."
3.She performed at Toronto Pride and opened for Kehlani.
Speaking of releasing music, Jordan is no stranger to releasing singles and performing on big stages. Though, "You" is her newest single, it is far from her first. In the last few years, she's done everything from headlining a nationwide Pride campaign for BudLight alongside Carley Rae Jepsen to opening for Kehlani for Toronto Pride 2018 to releasing an album, The Lonely Hearts Club.
4.Jordan's signature shaved head helped her reclaim her identity.
When auditioning in Toronto, Jordan Alexander claims to have seen people who looked exactly like her auditioning for the same roles. Despite being uniquely herself, she found it disturbing that she and so many others fit the same criteria box. As a sign of rebellion, and as an act to reclaim her identity, Jordan shaved her head and has never looked back.
"I think I was just having a moment. I was trying to figure out what I wanted, and one of the things that I didn't want was hair."
5.'Euphoria' was the first time Jordan saw herself reflected in media.
Indifferent to whether it is because of lack of representation or finally understanding herself, Jordan Alexander credits Euphoria for being the first show she found herself in a character. Euphoria's, Rue, played by Zendaya, is a mixed queer girl, who Alexander says she identifies with because she is also mixed and queer. She also believes that Rue is a complex character with a complex storyline that she found inspiring.
6.Her sister discovered she was casted in 'Gossip Girl' long before the announcement.
Jordan Alexander is a middle child, stuck between two sisters Sydnei (older) and Chloe (younger). Alexander names her older sister as her hero, giving her credit for influencing her career and shining within her own field. Her older sister is a nurse, and her younger sister is an "online detective," who managed to discover she was casted in GG before its announcement.
7.Jordan quit acting for a brief period of time.
Shortly after starting her acting career, Jordan Alexander left acting to pursue music. It was under her sister's influence that she continued to act after leaving it behind. She credits her sister, Sydnei, to taking images off her Instagram account and sending it to agencies on her behalf. Due to her sister's encouragement and coercion, Alexander landed a role on the Facebook Watch series, Sacred Lies.
"She's [her sister Sydnei] very much a stage mom. She's always sending me Kris Jenner memes saying, 'you're doing great, sweetie!' She was adamant for the past six years that I try acting, and her persistence broke through...well, not really. I didn't actually do anything, so she took pictures from my Instagram and sent them to agents in Toronto, corresponded with them and then forwarded it to me."
8.Jordan says her grandparents were the hardest for her to come out to.
With her two consecutive performance at Toronto Pride, it is no surprise to discover that Jordan Alexander is a part of the LGBTQ community. While asked who was the hardest person to come out to, the out and proud, queer actress-singer, claims it was her grandparents. Stating:
"I guess, maybe, my grandparents, which is funny because it wasn't hard at all. Because the people who made it hard to come out to, I just didn't, but for some reason it was hard for me with my grandparents, because we are very close. I love my grandparents so much, but they were like 'oh, okay.'"
Featured image by Dia Dipasupil/WireImage